Mistake
by FluffleNeCharka
Summary: Naru has Mai help him with an experiment of his, and it results in her having a seizure that, oddly enough, may bring them closer together. [Oneshot, hints of NaruMai.]


Author's Note: This is all a set up for a future Ghost Hunt story I'm doing… but that doesn't mean there isn't fluff here.

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Naru was typing away at his computer when I came in.

He looked a little tired, with faint rings around his eyes, and there was a box of goggles on his desk. It was a bulky, dusty box, and there were at least twenty pairs of goggles inside. I wanted to ask, but decided I really didn't want to know. After all, Naru had his own quiet panic attacks followed by dark fury whenever he was interrupted. He was deep in thought, one hand cupping his chin while the other was a blur of motion against the keyboard. The room was pitch black, and the computer lit Naru's face with dull purple light. It was striking and vaguely unsettling.

He greeted me with, "Mai."

I replied, "Anything I can help you with?" After all, it was early, and I had nothing else to do.

My sweetness was met with an icy, if not exasperated, "I suppose. Just watch the computer screen closely for a moment."

I didn't expect a thank you. I just focused on the screen. Naru hit a key and suddenly, my eyes hurt. And not a little. They were tearing up as I tried to focus on the screen. Red, blue, red, blue, faster than I could count. Vivid colors. My eyes hurt, but the tearing up stopped after a few seconds. Then Naru pressed a key and the colors shifted to white and black.

I'd never had any problems with flashing lights before. But all of a sudden my knees went out from under me and I was crying. My head throbbed. I couldn't think. My hands shook, then my arms, and then Naru was trying to hold my head so I wouldn't bang it against anything. The lights still flashed before my eyes even when I closed them. I screamed suddenly, without knowing why. I felt Naru's hands let go of my head and heard his footsteps as he rummaged through his desk for something. The back of my neck felt like it was on fire. I clutched my head with shaky hands, then let go instantly as the pain shot through my hands back up through my chest.

Then suddenly Naru was holding one of my eyelids open and I saw a faint purple light. The pain subsided. He shone it into my other eye, and I was back to normal, if not shaken.

But Naru looked more shaken than I'd ever seen him before. Actual emotion was on his face. Fear. Regret. Concern. It was bizarre to see him like this. I blinked, making sure I wasn't dreaming. He kneeled over me, trying not to let any emotions show on his face. I could see him fighting it, shoving the fear and concern aside, but he was losing the battle for the first time since I'd known him.

"You okay?" I muttered.

That broke him. Naru's face fell and he stroked my hair gingerly, as if the action was a sin. "Mai, I apologize. I didn't realize how great the effect was – I… I made a mistake."

I could tell from the tone of his voice that making a mistake was like being shot through the head for him. I tried to smile reassuringly. "It's okay. No harm done."

Under any other circumstances, I would have yelled at him. I kind of wanted to then. But that horribly broken and defeated expression on his face was too much to bear. I'd never seen him like this. His emotional mask was gone. This was Naru caught off guard, I realized. I didn't know he had emotions like this, even if he was obviously trying not to look concerned.

Carefully, Naru helped me stand, and then he helped me get out of the dark, slightly unsettling silence of his office and onto a nearby couch. He looked much calmer now, more like his typical apathetic self, but he still had a frown on his face and his eyes weren't so cold. The light seemed to glare at my eyes, and I tried to close them, but it hurt a little. I flinched.

"Mai?" Naru said quietly. "I truly am sorry. I never thought that it would actually work to that degree. I didn't mean to…" he trailed off.

"It's alright, Naru-chan," I reassured him, trying to sit up. "But what WAS that?"

"A lighting effect that was supposed to be fatal to telepathists," he explained, then shook his head. "I can't believe I tried that on you."

"Naru-chan-" I started. His eyes were closed, but I could see real pain on his face. It took all of my energy, but I managed to stand and wrap my arms around him. "It's alright, Kazuya."

He paused, as if he didn't know what to do. When I slumped against him, eyes closed, he wrapped his arms around me to make sure I didn't fall. Very carefully, he picked me up and placed me on the couch, as if I might break. My head throbbed, and I shivered. A moment later, Naru had somehow gotten a blanket to drape over me. I looked up. My vision was blurry and everything was bright. He looked like an angel, standing there to protect me in case something went wrong. A faint hint of regret was still in his eyes.

Very quietly, in his normal, icy Naru voice, he told me, "You'll be receiving twice your normal salary this week for your services." Then he walked away.


End file.
